Steve Blake, after less than two weeks with the Warriors, has made a splash filling the gap Jarrett Jack left on the bench.

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

Steve Blake, after less than two weeks with the Warriors, has made...

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Steve Blake, taking a shot against Houston point guard Jeremy Lin, is a pending free agent.

Photo: Kelley L Cox, Reuters

Steve Blake, taking a shot against Houston point guard Jeremy Lin,...

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Steve Blake of the Golden State Warriors (R) drives against Shannon Brown (2nd R) and Jeremy Tyler (2nd L) of the New York Knicks as Warrior Marreese Speights (L) follows play during their NBA game February 28, 2014 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Warriors won, 126-103. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDASTAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Stan Honda, AFP/Getty Images

Steve Blake of the Golden State Warriors (R) drives against Shannon...

Not quite two weeks into his tenure with the Warriors, Steve Blake said that he'd consider re-upping as Stephen Curry's backup. And fans are so impressed with Blake that they're pining for him to close games.

"I already knew from the outside that they were a special team, but I didn't realize what a great group of guys it was and how nice it is to play for coach (Mark) Jackson," Blake said. "Those are all things I'm looking for in a place to finish out my career."

Blake has been pretty special in his brief time with the Warriors, too. He has filled the team's season-long search for a backup point guard, bringing some structure to the second unit and dishing out 2.8 assists to 0.5 of a turnover per game.

Blake's 5.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio with the Warriors would rank second in the NBA, behind Miami's Shane Battier (6.0), and ahead of the Clippers' Chris Paul (4.7).

"He's a veteran who understands how to play," Jackson said. "Options on plays we've never seen are all of the sudden live options. ... The guys appreciate what he's doing, because he's unselfish, he's a competitor and he has a calming effect."

Playing for his seventh team in his 11th NBA season, Blake brings savvy to the Warriors' inexperienced roster. He won a high school state title in Florida as a junior, led Oak Hill Academy in Virginia to the nation's No. 1 high school ranking as a senior, won the NCAA championship at Maryland in 2002 and has played in the NBA postseason six times.

Though Curry has made dramatic strides in running the team this season, he still leads the league with four turnovers per game. He had four during a nine-minute span in the fourth quarter Sunday, when the Warriors melted down and blew their lead in a loss at Toronto.

"In games, I'm not going to put (Curry) in handcuffs," Jackson said. "The reason he started in the All-Star Game and is averaging the numbers he's averaging is because he's not in cuffs. I'm not going to try to mess with his head. He knows that I'm going to hold him accountable and that I'm going to demand that he takes care of the basketball, but I'm not going to take him out because he made a mistake."

Instead, Jackson has an assistant coach chart Curry's "reckless plays" and addresses those gaffes with his point guard after games. Though the coach won't consider sitting Curry in crunch time, he might consider playing Curry alongside Blake.

Blake and Curry have played well together during the middle portions of games, when Curry gets relief from his ball-handling and decision-making duties and, instead, runs off screens and showcases the league's sweetest jumper.

The Warriors have gone 9-11 in a league-leading 20 games decided by fewer than five points. Last season with Jarrett Jack closing games alongside Curry, the team went 12-5 in those situations. Blake, who as a free agent could choose a team for which he'll start, likes the idea of filling Jack's old role - even though that means coming off the bench.

"If I have the opportunity to be here, that'd be awesome. I would love it, but you never know," Blake said. "When you're a free agent, unless you're one of the top guys, it's kind of out of your hands. You have to see which teams want you and what they're going to offer you. ...

"One of the most important things is winning. I don't know if I want to go start on a team that's going to win 20 or 30 games. At this point in my career, I don't think that's what I'm looking for. If my role is to come off the bench, like it is right now, and I can contribute that way and we're winning, I'm all for it. All I want to do is win right now, and I think this team really has the chance to do it."

Briefly: After recovering from a left hamstring strain, right foot inflammation and a bout with strep throat, rookie point guard Nemanja Nedovic was assigned to the NBA Development League's Santa Cruz Warriors. ... Big man Hilton Armstrong was not re-signed by the Warriors after his 10-day contract expired.

LeBron James scores career-high and franchise-record 61 points in win over Bobcats. B3

Tuesday's game

Who: Warriors (36-24) at Pacers (46-13)

Where: Indianapolis

When: 4 p.m.

TV/Radio: CSNBA/680

Of note: The Warriors have lost five straight games in Indianapolis and 23 of their past 29 games there. ... The Pacers have won five consecutive games - their fifth win streak of at least five games this season, including a 9-0 start. ... Indiana has secured its 25th straight winning home season, the longest active streak in the NBA. ... Swingman Paul George was the third Pacer voted into the All-Star Game as a starter, joining Reggie Miller (1995) and Jermaine O'Neal (2003-04 and 2006). ... After recording only two double-doubles in his first three seasons, Indiana's Lance Stephenson leads the league with four triple-doubles and is tops in rebounding among guards. ... The Pacers acquired Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen in a trade-deadline deal with Philadelphia for Danny Granger and a future second-round pick.